


the only thing worth fighting for

by seothsayers



Category: SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Exes, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Back Together, M/M, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:34:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24593107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seothsayers/pseuds/seothsayers
Summary: Taeyong was in Hawaii for three reasons: the sun, to gather enough information to expose Krystal Jung and all of her criminal exploits, and to have a good time. Being forced to pretend to be married to his ex-boyfriend completely blows all that out of the water.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 13
Kudos: 102





	the only thing worth fighting for

**Author's Note:**

> this came into my brain and took over my life. shout out to baekyong for being cute
> 
> title from lera lynn's song of the same name!

“Don’t hate me.” Are the first words out of Mark’s mouth when Taeyong answers the phone.

“Why would I hate you?” Taeyong asks, confused. “I could never hate you Mark.”

Taeyong is sat on a sun lounger, sipping at a Mai Tai and wearing a ridiculous pineapple print shirt, aka having the time of his life. In his peripheral vision, he can see Krystal Jung, international illegal arms trader, engaged in a hushed conversation with one of her entourage by the pool. Taeyong had managed to bug the ashtray on the table earlier and so is listening as they discuss plans to sell off a new shipment to an interested European party. Taeyong’s job is simple – learn enough information to incriminate Krystal Jung and then catch her in the act.

All that aside – he is in _Hawaii_. Taeyong was a dedicated employee and would one hundred percent see this through to the end, but he would be damned if he wasn’t going to catch a tan at the same time. He was in a very good mood and there were very few things that could ruin this for him.

“Well…” Mark continues, “Boss is sending in some back up. We’ve noticed a few more shady figures popping up around the resort and he doesn’t want you to deal with this alone.”

“That’s fine.” Taeyong says. An extra pair of eyes would be useful. “Who is Taemin sending?”

Mark’s answer is muffled by the shout of, “Babe! There you are!” and Taeyong almost drops his phone in his cocktail. He would recognise that voice anywhere.

Slowly, he turns to see Baekhyun grinning at him from the poolside bar. “Do you want another drink?” Baekhyun asks.

Taeyong composes himself enough to shake his head. Baekhyun shrugs and turns back to the bartender.

“Mark.” Taeyong says through gritted teeth. “Please tell me that both my eyes and ears are deceiving me right now.”

“I’m sorry, dude.” Mark sounds genuinely regretful. “I told the boss he should have given you more of a heads up, but he said you’d be able to handle it. Mature adults and all that.”

“Right.” Taeyong turns back around to see Baekhyun walking towards him. _Mature adults_. Taeyong could do that. “I have to go.”

“Good luck man.” Mark says. “And don’t blow your cover!”

Taeyong hangs up just as Baekhyun sits down on the sun lounger beside him. He sets his drink on the table between them and smiles, basking in the sun. “This is nice.”

“Why are you here?” Taeyong asks, unable to help himself.

“To help, of course.” Baekhyun smiles, that winning grin that used to make Taeyong’s insides melt.

“No, I mean why _you_ specifically.” Taeyong questions. “They could have sent literally anyone else. Doyoung. Johnny. God, even Mark.”

“Well, you’re stuck with me, so you’ll just have to make do.” Baekhyun’s tone is bitter and Taeyong takes joy in the fact that he seems to have hit a nerve. “Our cover is that we are newlyweds on our honeymoon, so could you at the very least wipe that grimace off your face and pretend to smile?”

“ _Newlyweds_?” Taeyong hisses. His good mood had been plummeting ever since Baekhyun had shown up, but it had officially hit rock bottom. Was this some kind of twisted joke? Had he pissed Taemin off?

Baekhyun holds out a golden ring, matching the one shining on his left hand that Taeyong hadn’t noticed until now. “You were in love with me once. It can’t be that hard for you to dig back six months and pretend to be in love with me again.”

Taeyong stares at the ring. He wants to yell, to throw a tantrum like a petulant little toddler but he would blow their cover instantly and work was more important than his feelings right now – he lets out a sharp laugh as he realises the irony. Taeyong snatches the ring from Baekhyun’s hand. Their fingers touch for half a second, and Taeyong’s skin burns.

“What am I going to do?” Taeyong whines.

He is on the phone to Doyoung, taking full advantage of the fact that Baekhyun is in the bathroom to spill all the details. Baekhyun has always taken extraordinarily long showers and it used to frustrate Taeyong so much – he needed to shower too! – but Baekhyun would just grin cheekily and invite him to share and Taeyong could never find it in him to refuse.

“I mean, there’s nothing you _can_ do,” Doyoung says, the pity clear in his voice. “You’ll make it through, Taeyoung. It is only for what? A few weeks? When you get back, I’ll punch him for you, okay?”

Taeyong laughs. “I’m holding you to that,” He says. The water stops in the bathroom and he sighs. “I have to go.”

“Good luck. Don’t kill each other,” Doyoung says.

“I’ll try my hardest,” Taeyong promises.

Doyoung laughs as he hangs up the phone.

When Baekhyun re-enters the room, he’s got a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair is wet, sticking to his forehead. Taeyong stares for a second too long at Baekhyun’s chest, noticing the red patches of skin left behind by the scalding water. Baekhyun clears his throat and Taeyong looks away, flushed and annoyed.

“Bathroom is free,” Baekhyun says, sounding amused.

“Obviously.” Taeyong mutters. He refuses to look at Baekhyun as he rolls off the bed and when he walks past, he purposely presses himself against the doorframe to avoid touching Baekhyun’s bare skin.

Taeyong rubs at his body until its red raw when he showers, as though he’ll be able to wash off every single grievance and desire he has relating to Baekhyun down the drain. Doyoung was right – it was only a few weeks. Once he makes it through, he never has to deal with Baekhyun again.

When he steps out the shower, Taeyong realises in his haste to avoid Baekhyun and his nakedness, he had forgotten to bring a change of clothes with him into the bathroom. He groans and spends about five minutes at the door, listening to Baekhyun sing quietly to himself on the other side before he decides to just suck it up. Steeling himself, Taeyong slips out of the bathroom, towel gripped tightly between his fingers as he speeds over to his suitcase and grabs a clean pair of boxers and a thin t-shirt. It was too hot to be wearing the shirt to bed, but Taeyong refused to sleep shirtless next to Baekhyun. Taeyong darts back into the bathroom and changes.

“We should talk about our plan.” Baekhyun says when Taeyong exits the bathroom again. “What have you learnt so far?”

Taeyong climbs under the sheets of the queen-sized bed, mourning the loss of space. They had spent one sweet night alone together and now his ability to spread out like a starfish had been stomped all over by Byun Baekhyun. “Let’s talk over breakfast.” Taeyong says.

“It’ll take ten minutes for you to fill me in.” Baekhyun says, but Taeyong ignores him, rolling over and lying so his back is to Baekhyun.

“Tomorrow.” Taeyong repeats, punctuating his statement with a fake yawn. “I’m tired.” In reality, he is anxious and annoyed and thinks that a good night’s sleep, a big breakfast and a table between them would make him feel better.

Baekhyun huffs but doesn’t argue any further. The lights go off and Taeyong listens as Baekhyun settles down. It’s only when he hears Baekhyun snoring faintly that Taeyong finally closes his eyes and settles into an uneasy sleep.

🌣 🌣 🌣

Unsurprisingly, Taeyong sleeps poorly. They order room service and eat breakfast out on the balcony. Taeyong picks out an extravagant fruit platter and munches away happily, legs swinging underneath him. He ignores Baekhyun’s eyes on him.

Baekhyun makes it an impressive fifteen minutes before he kicks Taeyong in the shin and speaks up. “So, can we talk now?” He asks, tapping his fingers impatiently against the table.

“Sure.” Taeyong says, quietly pleased to have won this little battle, no matter how petty it is. “Jung has been doing plenty of talking about making deals, but she hasn’t actually settled on a buyer yet for her latest shipment. I think she’s playing them all off each other to try and get higher bids. I tapped the ashtray at her favourite table downstairs and her sun lounger. Was going to try and get into her room next.”

“How?” Baekhyun asks.

“Mark’s been keeping an eye on the cameras. We are working to establish a pattern, see how many guards are at her room, when they change shifts. I can slip in when no-one is there, pretend I’m a cleaner and investigate.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun nods. “I’m going to head down to the pool, scope out the area a little because I didn’t really get the chance yesterday. I’ll see you down there?”

“Sure.” Taeyong says. He still needs to get dressed – Baekhyun had been up and ready before Taeyong was even awake.

“Please wear a better shirt today. Yesterday’s was an eyesore,” Baekhyun says as he leaves.

Taeyong scoffs. His pineapple shirt was great and perfect part of his tourist disguise. Taeyong picks out a flamingo printed shirt just to spite Baekhyun.

When Taeyong reaches the pool, Baekhyun is stretched out on a sun lounger. He spots Taeyong and lights up, waving him over. Taeyong had to give it to him, he was a good actor.

“Do my back for me?” Baekhyun asks when Taeyong sits down, holding out a bottle of sun cream.

Taeyong sighs and takes it from him. The temptation to snatch it from him and say ‘no’ is strong, but Taeyeon is a professional and perfectly capable of politely interacting with his ex-boyfriend when the situation calls for it. “Turn around,” He says, squirting a dollop of cream onto his palm.

Baekhyun is broad. It is not that Taeyong had forgotten, but reality is a lot harder to avoid when you’re staring it in the face. Taeyong is thorough, making sure Baekhyun is covered in sun cream before handing the bottle back to Baekhyun. “Here, all done.”

“Thanks babe,” Baekhyun says without missing a beat. “Need me to do yours?”

“No, I’m good for now,” Taeyong says. He could do fake husbands but having Baekhyun’s hands on him more than necessary? That was a Big No.

Baekhyun shrugs and it is then that he notices Taeyong’s shirt and he snorts, shaking his head. He stretches back out on the lounger and puts on a pair of big sunglasses. “I put a book in the bag for you if you want to read. Wake me up if anything interesting happens.”

Taeyong knows he’s not really planning on sleeping; the dark shades will help hide his eyes as he picks apart everyone around them. Baekhyun had picked a set of sun loungers directly opposite the poolside bar. He’s got one earbud in too, so that he can listen in to what happens at Krystal Jung’s table. Krystal was already there, phone in hand and sipping at a colourful cocktail.

Taeyong rummages in the beach bag Baekhyun had mentioned. He spots a gun, sun cream and an extra pair of swim shorts before he finally finds his book. He flicks it open to where he had dogeared the page. He’s half reading, half people watching. After about half an hour, Baekhyun clears his throat and Taeyong looks up to see a man approaching Krystal Jung, taking a seat at the opposite side of her table.

“I’m going to get a drink,” Taeyong says. Baekhyun hums in response. “Want anything?”

“Surprise me,” Baekhyun mutters. “Maybe order some food too?”

Taeyong walks over, fixing his sun hat on his head to hide his face as he walks past Krystal’s table. He orders two cokes and a bowl of fries, lingering around the bar and making casual conversation with the bartender until his order is ready.

Krystal and the man seem to be engaged in a heated discussion, the two keeping their voices low and their heads close. When he can’t linger anymore without raising suspicion, he heads back over to Baekhyun, managing to catch the tail end of their conversation.

“We want the goods by the end of the week,” The man says. “Can you do that?”

“Of course,” Krystal says. “I’ll be expecting the funds to be wired to my account first though.”

The man grumbles something too quiet for Taeyong to catch as he passes by. He sets their drinks down on the small table between their loungers and Baekhyun glances up at him.

“If she’s closed the deal already, we aren’t going to have much time to try and expose her,” Taeyong says.

“I know,” Baekhyun frowns. After a moment he adds, “Thanks for the drink.”

“No problem,” Taeyong says, sitting back and picking up his book.

🌣 🌣 🌣

Baekhyun plays the role of doting husband effortlessly and it is starting to mess with Taeyong’s head. All it takes is Baekhyun calling him ‘babe’ or pressing a hand against his arm, or his back and Taeyong is suddenly transported back six months to when they _had_ been a couple. It makes him miss it, miss _them_. These past few days are the most amount of time they’ve spent together in the same room since the breakup and there isn’t even anyone there to stand as a buffer, ease some of Taeyong’s anxiety about it all. It sucks.

He tries to hide his unease, but Baekhyun sees right through him. Taeyong’s not really surprised – they were dating for two years, had known each other for even longer. Baekhyun knows everything about him and he won’t have forgotten just because they broke up.

“I know you’d rather throw yourself out of a window than have to breathe the same air as me right now, but can you at least pretend that you enjoy my company when we’re in public?” Baekhyun corners Taeyong once he has gotten out of the shower. “Every smile looks painful.”

“I’m trying,” Taeyong says, squeezing past Baekhyun so that he can change.

“Well you’re not trying hard enough.” Baekhyun retorts. “We’re meant to be newlyweds. I’m not expecting you to be clinging to me, but don’t flinch away when I’m trying to hold your hand. If you do it again, I’m going to start enforcing mandatory hand holding time to get you used to it.”

Taeyong splutters. That sounded like hell.

“Well?” Baekhyun presses, as Taeyong pulls on a shirt.

“I’ll do better.” Taeyong says. Anything to avoid mandatory hand holding. “It’s just not easy for me. Who would want to hold hands with the man who broke their heart? If I’d had more time to process this all before you turned up it would have been easier.”

“You’re a spy. Adapt.” Baekhyun tells him. His words are sharp, but Taeyong turns just in time to see the way his body deflates.

They walk down to dinner in silence. Taeyong compartmentalises everything, just like he had when they had broken up. He can’t deal with it now, there is no time. Before they enter the main foyer, Taeyong reaches out and grabs Baekhyun’s hand, squeezing a little too tight.

“Table for two?” The hostess asks.

Baekhyun flashes her his winning smile. “Yes please,” He says in perfect English.

“Follow me,” She says, grabbing two menus and leading them to an outside table.

The hostess laughs as Baekhyun pulls out Taeyong’s chair for him, and Taeyong laughs too to cover up his awkwardness. The hostess asks how long they’ve been together and Taeyong answers “two years” without hesitating. All the best lies have an element of truth to them, after all. Taeyong swallows the bitter taste in his throat and orders something fruity to drink, hoping it will cleanse his palate.

He almost jumps when Baekhyun hooks their feet together under the table and Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at him. “What do you think we should do tomorrow?” Baekhyun asks.

“Stay indoors?” Taeyong suggests. Mark had messaged to say he had established a basic pattern for the guards that stopped outside of Krystal’s rooms and so Taeyong was eager to go in and see what he could find.

“Finally getting down to the real newlywed business, huh,” Baekhyun jokes and Taeyong forces a smile.

A waiter brings over their drinks then and they place their food order. Taeyong is glad for the momentary distraction, but as soon as he is gone, Baekhyun reaches his hand out over the table, wiggling his fingers. He stares pointedly until Taeyong takes Baekhyun’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Baekhyun looks down at their entwined hands and starts to rub circles into Taeyong’s skin with his thumb. “This is nice.” He says.

The hotel is nice. The view too – they were right by the beach and Taeyong could hear the waves lapping against the sand from where they were sat. He hoped he would get the chance to visit before they had to leave. The whole Baekhyun holding his hand and pretending to be his husband thing isn’t quite as nice, but Taeyong pushes that to the back of his mind as he smiles and says, “Yeah it is.”

“Hawaii would definitely have been in my top three honeymoon choices,” Baekhyun says it like its nothing, still rubbing his thumb against Taeyong’s hand as though he didn’t just verbally stab Taeyong in the chest.

“What were the other two choices?” Taeyong asks, because he loves pain and he is morbidly curious. They had talked about marriage a lot, especially in the last few months they were together. A few of Baekhyun’s friends had taken the plunge, and it would have offered them a little bit more security, with both each other and at work. They had even looked at rings.

“I feel like the Maldives is a given, really,” Baekhyun says. “Then I would have said maybe Morocco? Jongin was there last year and he hasn’t shut up about it since.”

“Huh.” Taeyong says. He feels like he’s about to throw up. “Excuse me for a second, I’m just going to run to the toilet.”

Taeyong pulls his hand out from Baekhyun’s and flees as discretely as he can. The bathroom is empty, thankfully, and Taeyong clutches at the sink as he steadies his breathing. _What the fuck_. Literally, what the fuck was Baekhyun thinking, bringing up honeymoon locations? He could have picked anything else as his conversation topic. Taeyong didn’t know whether to laugh, scream or cry.

He splashes his face with water and stares at his reflection in the mirror. Now was not the time to be having a breakdown over the fact he definitely still had feelings for his ex-boyfriend and still hadn’t properly processed their breakup, not when said ex-boyfriend was pretending to be his husband and talking about their almost future in such a blasé manner. When this was all over, Taeyong was going to book time off. He needed a break. A real holiday. Just not one in Hawaii.

Taeyong runs into someone as he leaves the bathroom, the man gripping his arm tight to steady him.

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Taeyong says with a small laugh. He steps out of the way to let the man past, but he doesn’t let go of Taeyong’s arm.

“Don’t worry about it.” The man says. His smile unsettles Taeyong.

Taeyong looks at the man, then at the hand on his arm. He moves, pulling out of his grip. “Sorry,” He says again, before speeding out of the bathroom and back to his table.

Baekhyun is looking at him with concern when he returns. “Are you okay?” He asks. “You look…”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Taeyong says. He doesn’t want to know how bad he looks. “I wonder what entertainment is on tonight.”

Baekhyun studies him for a moment before he mentions he’d overheard it was a pianist. He doesn’t try to take Taeyong’s hand again, and Taeyong is grateful for the reprieve. The rest of dinner goes smoothly. Baekhyun gets steak and Taeyong gets fish and they end up sharing because the food is too good not to. It’s domestic and it would have been cute if Taeyong wasn’t five seconds away from panicking.

They get dessert too, and then they head inside so they can listen to the music. Taeyong goes to order them drinks from the bar and he is on his way back to the table when someone walks directly into him. The drink’s spill all over his shirt and Taeyong groans, looking up only to realise it is the same man from the bathroom earlier.

“We have to stop running into each other like this,” He jokes and Taeyong frowns.

“Sorry,” He says. The whole situation makes Taeyong feel off.

“That was my fault this time,” The man says. “I can buy you another drink though, let me make it up to you.”

Taeyong wonders whether the man is oblivious to the wedding ring on his left hand or just a sleaze who doesn’t care. He makes eye contact with Baekhyun over the man’s shoulder and Baekhyun is on his feet in an instant, striding over.

“Something wrong babe?” Baekhyun asks, slipping his arms around Taeyong’s waist. He squeezes gently and Taeyong leans back into his touch. “Can I help you?” He fixes the stranger with a look, giving him the once over.

“I was just apologising for knocking into your friend here.” The man says. “Just offered to buy him a replacement.”

“Oh, that’s okay, I’m his husband, I’ve got it,” Baekhyun says with a sharp-toothed smile. “Thanks though.”

Baekhyun drags him back over to the bar and flags down the bartender, asking for napkins. Whilst Baekhyun dabs at his shirt, Taeyong attempts to wipe the sticky alcohol from his forearms.

“Who was he?” Baekhyun asks and Taeyong shrugs.

“I bumped into him whilst I was in the bathroom too,” Taeyong says. “He gives me creepy vibes. I don’t like him.”

“You’ve bumped into him before?” Baekhyun asks, dropping the used napkin on the bar. “Taeyong, that can’t have been a coincidence. Not with what Mark was saying.”

“I didn’t want to say it but…”

“Trust your gut,” Baekhyun says, poking him in the chest. “Come on, let’s sit back down. We can head up to our room in a bit.”

Taeyong’s restless for the rest of the evening, tapping his foot against the ground until Baekhyun places his hand on Taeyong’s thigh and squeezes. Then Taeyong is attention is split thinking about the warm pressure of Baekhyun’s palm as well as the strange man and whether his cover was somehow blown.

“Stop thinking.” Baekhyun once they get back to the room. “You’re stressing yourself out and it makes you sloppy.”

Taeyong presses his lips together. Baekhyun’s right. He strips out of his clothes and triple checks the lock on the doors to the balcony and room before he settles into bed.

“Message Mark, see if he can get up the security footage so we can suss out who the mystery man is,” Baekhyun suggests, climbing in beside him. “Then tomorrow we’re getting you into Krystal’s room. We’ll figure it out, Taeyong, I promise you.”

“Okay.” Taeyong says. Baekhyun reaches out and brushes Taeyong’s hair from his face before rolling over and turning off the lights.

🌣 🌣 🌣

When Taeyong wakes up the next morning, Baekhyun is already awake. He’s on the phone out on the balcony and Taeyong watches as he paces back and forth, running a hand through his hair. There is a frown on his face, but it softens when he looks over and realises Taeyong is up.

“Yeah, I’ll put you on speaker,” He says as he steps back into the room, pulling the balcony door shut behind him. “It’s Mark,” He says to Taeyong.

“What’s going on?” Taeyong asks, rubbing at his eyes.

“Baekhyun was telling me about last night. Thing’s aren’t looking too good, there has definitely been an increase of security around the place in the last twenty-four hours and I’m getting facial recognition hits on some of these guys.” Mark explains. “I don’t think your cover’s blown or they would have killed you already, but I think they’re all on edge and are treating everyone with suspicion.”

“So, what does this mean for us?” Taeyong asks. “Are we still going ahead with the mission?”

“Yeah. You’re still on.” Mark says. “You just need to be extra careful, dude. We’re going to send in some extra backup to support you, so keep an eye out.”

They move on to discussing the plan for today. Pretending to be a member of staff was out of the window now – too risky, even more so than it had been in the first place – and so Taeyong was going to use his excellent acrobatics skills to get himself onto Krystal Jung’s balcony and break into the room instead. Mark had set them up with a tablet, and Baekhyun would be watching the camera feed and keeping Taeyong updated from their room.

“Good luck,” Baekhyun tells him before he sends him off, hand lingering on Taeyong’s shoulder for just a second too long.

“Thanks.” Taeyong says, and then he hurries out of there.

Getting up to Krystal’s balcony without being caught turns out to be an ordeal in itself. The corridors are teeming with hotel staff and Taeyong pretends he’s visiting someone on another floor when he is asked if he is lost. Thanks to Mark’s wizardry, he’d managed to procure a room key for the room above Krystal’s. Taeyong enters when the coast was clear, and heads straight for the balcony. He double checks with Baekhyun to make sure Krystal’s room is empty before he drops down. The sliding glass door has been left ajar, and Taeyong was thankful for whoever had left it open and made his life easier.

“I’m in,” He murmurs, looking around the room.

It was similar to his and Baekhyun’s, just grander. Taeyong supposed when you make your fortune of selling weapons illegally, money isn’t an issue. He searches the seating area first, looking around for anything that could be of use – paperwork, a laptop.

“What are you seeing?” Baekhyun asks.

“Nothing so far,” Taeyong replies. “Moving into the bedroom now.”

Taeyong rummages through the bedroom, opening up all the drawers and smiles when he comes across the small safe sitting at the bottom of the wardrobe. “A-ha!”

“What is it?” Baekhyun asks.

“A safe.” Taeyong responds, pulling out one of the devices he’d tucked into his trouser pockets before he’d left. “Let’s get you open.”

Taeyong twists the combination cracker, waiting for the tell-tale click before moving on to try and crack the next number. It takes a few minutes, but he gets it done and lets out a little sound of joy when he opens up the safe and spots a bunch of papers inside.

He briefly glances over them all – most containing names and details of potential buyers. He pulls out his phone and snaps a few pictures, sending them through to Baekhyun. He sets the papers back inside when he is done and is just about to shut the safe when he notices a memory stick.

“Taeyong?” Baekhyun’s voice is panicked. “Taeyong you need to get out of there, Krystal Jung is walking up the corridor right now.”

Taeyong looks at the memory stick. If he takes it, he will undoubtedly have the information they need to close this case, but there is no way that Krystal will miss its absence and there is a higher chance of them getting caught. If he leaves it, he just has whatever is on the papers which isn’t as concrete as actual files, but it would mean his excursion to her room would go buy unnoticed.

“Taeyong! Go!” Baekhyun’s voice is urgent now, and it takes a split second for Taeyong to make up his mind.

He grabs the memory stick, locks the safe, shoves the combination device in his pocket and shuts the wardrobe door. Just as he hears the door to the hotel room open, he makes a dive for the bed as quietly as he can, crawling underneath and holding his breath.

Taeyong can feel his heart beating in his ears as he hears Krystal talking in the other room. Baekhyun is silent on the comms too, and Taeyong really hopes he is not doing anything stupid.

“It’s so warm out there today,” Krystal says as she walks into the bedroom. The person she’s talking to doesn’t follow, but Taeyong can hear a murmured response.

“I know. Still, Hawaii is amazing. I’ll have to come back again, for pleasure not business.” Krystal responds.

Taeyong is still as he hears the sound of something opening and he risks everything by pressing his face to the floor so he can peer through the space between the ground and the duvet. It is the wardrobe. Shit. Taeyong looks away when Krystal starts changing and closes his eyes, praying to whatever spiritual force was listening that he would make it out of the room without being caught.

Krystal shuts the wardrobe door and heads back into the main room. “Let’s go to the beach today, I want to switch things up.”

Then the hotel room door shuts and Taeyong lets out a shuddery breath.

“Is the coast clear?” Taeyong asks, as quietly as he can.

“Taeyong?” Relief floods Baekhyun’s tone. “Oh, thank god. They’re just walking down the corridor now.”

Taeyong rolls out from under the bed and rushes out onto the balcony, hoisting himself up onto the floor above. When he makes it into the room he sits on the floor and gives himself a few minutes to collect himself. Then he is leaving, disposing of his gloves, and strolling as casually as he can back through the hotel until he reaches his and Baekhyun’s shared room.

Baekhyun flings the door open when Taeyong knocks and drags him into the room. The door barely shuts behind them before Baekhyun is on him, grabbing Taeyong by the neck and pressing their lips together. Taeyong lets out a muffled squeak of surprise and he forgets himself for just a second, kissing Baekhyun back with the same intensity and pressure. Then he realises what he’s doing, and he gasps, shoving at Baekhyun’s chest until he’s stepped away.

“Sorry.” Baekhyun says immediately, as the gravity of what just happened seems to hit him. He raises a hand to touch his mouth and Taeyong follows the movement. “I was just so worried, and I forgot myself for a second.”

“It’s fine.” Taeyong says, because it is. Taeyong understands where he’s coming from, in a sense. The stress and the fear of being caught and then the utter relief when he was not. Taeyong has been on the other end of the line in situations like that, and the terror can be debilitating. At the same time, Taeyong now can’t stop looking at Baekhyun’s lips, the way Baekhyun licks at them when he’s nervous and the pretty pink flush on his cheeks.

“I got this,” Taeyong says, pulling out the memory stick and dangling it in front of Baekhyun’s face. “So, we’re going to have to be extremely vigilant from here on out. Jung will be tearing the place apart when she realises it is missing.”

“Fuck.” Baekhyun takes the memory stick from him. “Unless we can get all the information off of it and then put it back before she notices?”

“You want me to go back in there?” Is Taeyong’s first response, but then he remembers what Krystal had said in her room. “Wait, actually that might work. She’s going to the beach, so she’ll be away for a few hours at least.”

He and Baekhyun share a look and then they are both scrambling over to the laptop. Baekhyun plugs in the memory stick and starts running through some of the files. Taeyong watches over his shoulder – he can see names, bank account details, armament locations. This was just what they needed.

“Holy shit, we’ve hit the jackpot.” Baekhyun laughs. “Taemin’s going to be overjoyed when he sees this.”

Baekhyun makes quick work of transferring all the files onto a memory stick of his own and then hands Krystal’s back to Taeyong. “Go now, before we miss our chance.”

Thankfully, Taeyong is able to replace the memory stick with no issue. He takes one last look around Krystal’s room to make sure he’s left nothing out of place before he leaves. When he returns to his and Baekhyun’s room, Baekhyun is on the phone. He looks up when Taeyong enters and gives him a bright smile.

“He just got back,” Baekhyun says. He mouths _Taemin_ to Taeyong. “Yeah, I’ll tell him. Thanks, Taemin, talk to you later.”

Baekhyun hangs up and flops back onto the bed with a sigh.

“Well?” Taeyong asks.

“I sent over all the files, Taemin says from first glance it’s enough to nail Jung.” Baekhyun says. “He said well done, that he knew we could do it and that now we can relax.”

“Relax?” Taeyong repeats.

“Well, not exactly,” Baekhyun says. “He wants us here to keep an eye on Krystal until she leaves, just in case anything else interesting happens. See if we can get some dirt on the other guys lurking about this place. And obviously, detain her if the chance arises.”

Baekhyun gets up from the bed and walks over to Taeyong, squeezing his forearm gently. “Seriously, well done. That was intense, and I never doubted you, but I was really scared there for a minute.”

“Me too.” Taeyong admits.

Baekhyun clears his throat and takes a step back. “Why don’t we go to the beach? We can see if Krystal is still there, and I know you wanted to go too.”

“Am I that obvious?” Taeyong laughs.

“You stare at it longingly every time we’re down by the pool, so yes,” Baekhyun grins. “I’ll take lookout whilst you build a sandcastle or whatever it is you want to do. You deserve a little break.”

At the beach, they set up their towels about thirty feet away from Krystal and her entourage. There are a lot of people there and it makes Taeyong nervous. Could they have somehow found out what he had done? He shakes his head, clearing away the thoughts. He was still alive, so chances are the answer was no. They set up an umbrella so they can sit in the shade and Taeyong stretches out on his towel, digging his feet into the sand.

“I’ve never understood why you love the beach so much,” Baekhyun says. “Every holiday we took, you were desperate to go to one.”

“There are lots of things to love about the beach.” Taeyong says. “The ocean is amazing for one. The sea air is so refreshing. It’s not something I get to experience on a regular basis, so it is exciting whenever I do get to visit one.”

“But the sand.” Baekhyun whines. He is pouting, and he wipes at his leg to try and get the tiny grains off. “It’s been ten minutes. I’m covered already.”

“I’m sure you’ll live,” Taeyong says.

Taeyong’s glad Baekhyun offered to take up criminal-watch duty because half an hour later his eyelids are drooping. The adrenaline from earlier has worn off and he is suddenly crashing. He lies back on his towel and closes his eyes. A five-minute powernap wouldn’t do him any harm, probably, and Baekhyun would definitely wake him up if something happened.

He is woken up by a heavy pressure on his body and Taeyong immediately panics before he registers the face above his.

“Don’t look over,” Baekhyun mutters. He has pinned Taeyong’s arms to the ground and is leaning close, too close for Taeyong to focus on anything else but him. “They said they saw someone acting suspiciously around Jung’s room.”

“I wasn’t outside her room,” Taeyong says with a frown.

“No, but I was,” Baekhyun explains. “When you stopped answering I walked by a few times to see if I could figure something out.”

“Shit.” Taeyong says. He rolls them over, enjoying the flash of surprise on Baekhyun’s face as he finds himself on his back, and grabs a baseball cap from Baekhyun’s beach bag, pulling it down over Baekhyun’s head.

Taeyong chances a glance over his shoulder. Krystal waves a hand and the large group surrounding her group disperses, each person moving along the beach. Some stop and talk to other beachgoers and Taeyong swears again.

“What is it, I can’t see,” Baekhyun asks.

Taeyong looks back over his shoulder and sees a couple of men getting closer. “Fuck it,” He mutters, and he dips his head and kisses Baekhyun.

Baekhyun’s stiff under him for a second, but then he’s melting into Taeyong, hands coming up to wrap around Taeyong’s neck. The kiss they had shared earlier had been brief enough that Taeyong hadn’t really had time to think when it happened, but this was different. All Taeyong could think about was Baekhyun: his lips, the way he sighs softly when Taeyong slips his tongue into Baekhyun’s mouth, the way his body arches underneath him.

One of Baekhyun’s hands moves up to tug at the hair at the nape of Taeyong’s neck and he moans quietly into Taeyong’s mouth. Taeyong doesn’t stop kissing him until he has to pull back to breathe, and then he’s so transfixed by Baekhyun’s swollen lips and wide eyes that he almost misses the “Ugh, newlyweds,” from behind them. Baekhyun stills under him, chest still heaving as he catches his breath, and Taeyong looks to the side to see they had been passed over by Krystal’s guards.

Taeyong drops his head into the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, and they are both silent. He can feel Baekhyun’s hand still in his hair, scratching at his scalp lightly.

“We should probably talk,” Baekhyun says, when Taeyong finally sits up.

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Taeyong agrees.

They don’t talk again until they get to dinner. Baekhyun reaches out to tangle their fingers before they walk into the restaurant and for the first time since this has all begun, Taeyong grips on tighter instead of wanting to let go.

“I know this week has been hard for you, you don’t have a very good poker face,” Baekhyun begins when they are sat down, and orders have been placed. “But I’ve really struggled too, more than I thought I would. Because of our line of work, I thought that when we broke up, we would never see each other again if we didn’t want to.”

“Then why did you agree to this job? Pretending to be married to me is as close to me as you could possibly be.” Taeyong says.

Baekhyun presses his lips together. “Taemin asked me directly. I trust him, and I trust you. I knew that regardless of everything, we would be able to do this. Work is important to you; but you wouldn’t let our broken relationship get in the way of it.”

“It’s been really hard, Baekhyun.” Taeyong says, honestly. “You broke my heart. Having you here has been like a kick in the teeth and I feel like I’m back to square one in terms of moving on. You tell me we are both working too much to make things work and then you turn up here, willingly to work _with_ me.” Taeyong pauses. “All you needed to do was talk to me. We were a team. I would have dropped everything for you in a heartbeat so that we could fix things, but you didn’t even give me a chance to.”

Baekhyun takes a sip of his water. “I know, and I’m sorry. For everything. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few months and it has taken me longer than I would like to admit to realise I fucked up. You’re right, we should have talked it all out. People always say that relationships in this field are impossible, and I always thought that was so stupid, yet I let that mentality destroy what we had.”

Baekhyun rests his chin on his palm. “I think I also took this job hoping it would give me closure.”

“Well?” Taeyong asks. “Did you get it?”

Baekhyun laughs sharply. “No. I’ve just made things worse for myself.” Baekhyun stops as their food gets delivered, smiling at the waitress as she puts the food down. Taeyong nudges him under the table when she’s gone and Baekhyun stares down at his plate and then resolutely up at Taeyong. “Taeyong, I love you. I never stopped loving you, this past week has just proved that to me. I let my insecurities get the better of me and I’m sorry that I hurt you. I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me.”

Taeyong shoves a forkful of vegetables in his mouth instead of responding because he feels like if he starts to talk, he might start crying. Baekhyun starts to eat slowly too, keeping his eyes low and trained on his plate. Taeyong swallows his food and reaches across the table to hold out his hand. Baekhyun looks at it warily.

“We’re supposed to be married,” Taeyong reminds him, Baekhyun looks downtrodden. “We can finish talking later, okay? I just need some time to think. But I think it’s pretty obvious how I feel about you Baekhyun. I never wanted us to break up. I still love you too.”

It is impossible to cut up food properly whilst they are holding hands, but Taeyong refuses to let go and Baekhyun doesn’t seem to want to either. They need to talk more, discuss what they want to happen next. Taeyong knows he wants Baekhyun back in his life and wonders if he’s being foolish, acting too quickly. He decides to phone Doyoung after they have eaten. A second opinion never hurts.

Taeyong’s plan is scuppered almost instantly, as when they stand to leave the restaurant after dinner, Baekhyun is suddenly tugging Taeyong out of the way. A bullet hits the wooden railing behind him and Taeyong turns sharply to see where it came from.

It is the same man from the other day, the one from the bathroom. Around them, other guests are screaming, abandoning their seats, and running for the exits and Taeyong squeezes Baekhyun’s hand tight before he lets go.

“Taeyong, isn’t it?” He says. “And Baekhyun. It’s nice to finally meet you both properly.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” Baekhyun asks. “Bit rude if you know our names but we don’t know yours.”

“Hyunwoo, if you must know.” He answers. “I have to say, it has been interesting watching you two this past week. I truly believed you were a couple at first, but I’ve learned to trust my gut when it tells me something is off.”

“What do you want Hyunwoo?” Baekhyun asks. “Because I’m getting the feeling that we aren’t being held at gunpoint just so we can have a nice conversation.”

Taeyong surveys the room. They are outnumbered – there are at least ten of Krystal’s men ready to shoot them at a second’s notice. Taeyong spots Krystal herself at the far side of the room, arms crossed as she watches the situation unfold.

“Clever.” Hyunwoo says. “You’ll be coming with us, and you’ll tell us what you know. When we are done extracting every last drop of information from you, we’ll dispose of you in the most painful way possible.”

“Kinky.” Baekhyun retorts, and then he is grabbing onto Taeyong’s arm and diving behind a wooden pillar.

There is a loud _boom_ and Taeyong is confused as the ground shakes beneath them. “What –” He begins, but he cuts off when he sees someone vaulting over the railing and up onto the deck in front of them.

“Hey!” The person says and Taeyong does a double take.

“Yukhei?” He splutters. “How the hell did you get here?”

“Oh, I’ve been chilling at the resort across the road for a few days now. Heard the commotion and came straight over.” Yukhei explains. “Oh, and Baekhyun sent off an alert requesting backup as soon as shit started going down.”

“Now isn’t the time for a family reunion!” Baekhyun hisses.

“Right.” Yukhei salutes Taeyong. “See you in a bit!” And then he is gone, running into the fray.

Taeyong looks around the pillar and he startles as he recognises a few familiar faces – Jongin, Ten, Johnny, Taeil.

“Let’s move.” Baekhyun says and Taeyong nods, following after Yukhei.

There has been no plan discussed beforehand, but Taeyong already knows what he needs to do. Apprehending as many people as possible would mean SM could infiltrate other organisations, stop others like Krystal from causing havoc. Taeyong aims his gun at his assailant’s kneecaps when he can, only shooting to kill when one of the men goes on a rampage, charging him.

With the extra help, things seem to fall into their favour. Taeyong spots Baekhyun running out of the restaurant, chasing after Krystal with a group of her bodyguards hot on his tail and he doesn’t even think about it before he is running after them. He manages to distract half the group of guards by shooting one in the shoulder, and the group splits, some continuing the chase, whilst the others turned to deal with him.

Taeyong ducks out of the way as one of the guards charges him, dodging his punches and sweeping a leg round to knock him off balance. Using him as a meat shield, Taeyong advances down the hall and shoots the other two guards before knocking out the first man with the barrel of his gun.

Taeyong runs down the hallway and arrives in the lobby just in time to see Krystal levelling her gun at Baekhyun and shooting.

It is like everything is moving in slow motion. Taeyong rushes forward, shooting at the remain guards and lunging at Krystal when she attempts to flee through the doors. She cries out as she hits the ground and he wrestles the gun from her hands. Taeyong doesn’t feel the slightest bit guilty as he punches her in the face, and she falls unconscious beneath him.

Taeyong is at Baekhyun’s side in an instant, running his hands all over his body. “Where –”

“My leg.” Baekhyun says, and then Taeyong is back on his feet, grabbing a tablecloth from one of the nearby tables and turning it into a makeshift tourniquet.

“Thanks,” Baekhyun says, wincing when he tries to get up. “Help me up?”

Taeyong wraps one of Baekhyun’s arms around his shoulders and helps him to his feet. Baekhyun gestures to one of the nearby seats and collapses into the chair. “Call Taemin will you? Tell him we have Krystal. He’s probably got more people waiting just off site to help out.”

“In a minute.” Taeyong says. “Let me just…” He pulls Baekhyun into a hug, burying his face in Baekhyun’s neck. Baekhyun’s arm wrap around him too and Taeyong relishes in the warmth. “I never want to lose you again,” Taeyong says when he pulls back and Baekhyun takes Taeyong’s left hand in his own, bringing it to his mouth and kissing over the ring. “I’m yours if you’ll have me.”

It’s another few minutes before Taeyong can gather himself enough to call Taemin. He puts the phone on speaker and tells him the details whilst he ties up Krystal and the rest of her crew the best he can with only tablecloths as resources. Taemin promises that help is on its way and Taeyong sighs in relief.

When he’s done, Taeyong heads straight back over to Baekhyun, perching on the arm of the chair. Baekhyun leans into him, and its like this that Jongin finds them a few minutes later. He looks from them to where Krystal and her guards are lying, knocked out on the ground and raises his eyebrows.

“What a shit show, huh.” He says and Baekhyun laughs.

“That’s an understatement, Jonginnie.” Baekhyun says.

“Are you okay?” Jongin asks, looking between the both of them again.

Baekhyun leans back against Taeyong and Taeyong holds him tighter. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

🌣 🌣 🌣

“You know, I’m kind of sad I don’t get to punch Baekhyun.” Doyoung says.

Taeyong laughs. He watches as Baekhyun divebombs into the pool in front of him and laughs again when he gets splashed by the water.

They were in Morocco, on official vacation. Baekhyun’s leg was healing nicely, and as the weeks had gone by, he had decided to ignore all of his doctor’s advice and was enjoying a whole variety of strenuous activities. The rings were off, but they were together (officially, finally, after a long night of talking and crying) and Taeyong felt truly happy for the first time in a while.

“Sorry to let you down.” Taeyong says, watching Baekhyun climb out of the pool.

“No, I’m only joking. I’m happy for you guys.” Doyoung says. “Yukhei has started a betting pool on when you two are going to get married for real now though.”

“Really?” Taeyong shakes his head. “Well, I don’t know when that will be.”

“Not going to take a quick trip to Vegas whilst you’re still on holiday?” Doyoung asks.

Baekhyun sticks his tongue out when he catches Taeyong staring and starts making his way over.

“I’ll have to think about it.” Baekhyun climbs onto the sun lounger, settling himself in Taeyong’s lap. “I have to go now, Doyoung.”

Doyoung sighs. “Right. Boyfriend duties. Have fun, but not too much fun. Doctor’s orders.”

“Yeah, that probably won’t happen. I don’t think Baekhyun would listen to even me if I were his doctor.” Taeyong says.

“Oh, I’d listen to you,” Baekhyun grins, making Taeyong laugh and Doyoung groans on the other end of the phone.

“Okay, bye.” He says, hanging up.

Taeyong sets his phone down on the table, just in time for Baekhyun to pull him into a deep kiss.

“Want to go disobey some more doctor’s orders with me in our hotel room?” Baekhyun asks, walking his fingers up Taeyong’s chest.

Taeyong shivers, taking Baekhyun’s hand and tangling their fingers together. “I would love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter](https://twitter.com/seothsayers)


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